Instant toddler

I am not a dog lover.  I'm more a fan of cats.  I appreciate that cats are independent, can live fine without much help, and that they have to get to know you before they decide you're wonderful.  Dogs are a lot of work.  They make bigger messes, have bigger needs, and they lick and sniff everything, which I've never quite gotten used to.

Erik loves dogs, as does Scarlett.  In fact, we've always suspected that Scarlett was part dog.  She too, would lick and chew anything in her path.  She loves to walk on all fours, and her barks are indistinguishable from real dog barks.  Erik had a yellow lab, Dakota, when we got married.  She was a mellow dog that lived outside most of the year.  When she died about 18 months ago, we knew we wouldn't be replacing her.

But things change.  I could see how much Scarlett would benefit from having her own dog, and I knew Erik would like one.  Besides, I figured it would be good for Sierra to become less afraid of dogs.  So we decided we'd get a puppy after Christmas.  The girls were very excited, and I think their dad was too.  I liked the idea of a cute little puppy, but the pragmatist inside me kept brooding over how much work a puppy would be.

So on December 26, we went to the Humane Society near where my family lives, and we met several puppies.  We finally met "Teddy," a 2-month-old female puppy who was the same color as a teddy bear.  She seemed much more mellow than the other hyper puppies we met.  So she became the newest member of our family.  We renamed her Ginger.  She's part German Shepherd, part mystery.  We've done a little research, and it seems she may only grow to be 25 pounds.  Her mystery ancestors must be much smaller breeds.

I very quickly learned that we had brought a toddler into our home.  We had to start putting things up and away like we did when we had toddlers.  And the nighttime routine was more like having a newborn.  Erik slept on the couch for nearly a week, letting Ginger out at least 3-4 times a night.  Thankfully, she's sleeping a little better now.

Probably the most wonderful discovery in the last 2 weeks has been that Sierra is an exceptional caregiver.  For the kid who was afraid of dogs, she's now fallen in love with ours.  She jumps up to take her outside, she holds her with a smile on her face, and she loves to play with her.  It's been really fun to see how our 9-year-old mama-wanna-be has finally found something to mother appropriately.

I'm still very practical about how much work it will be to own a dog, but Ginger is one of us now, and it'll be fun to see how she grows, and how we grow with her.